Genre: Action Shooter
Developer: Smilebit
Publisher: Sega
# of Players: 1 player
Memory: N/A
ERSB: Teen
Also On:None

Presentation
Gunvalkyrie takes place in the British Empire in 1906. It is sort of an alternative reality due to Hailey’s comet actually hitting the earth in 1835. Dr. Hebble Gate found a way to use the energy that the comet created to build all kinds of machinery, including gunvalkyries way ahead of time. Does this sound sci-fi enough for you? Well anyway, Dr. Hebble has been missing for 4 years; it is your job to look for him. However, your primary objective is to investigate Tir Na Nog, one of the British Empire’s colonized planets. The empire lost contact with Tir Na Nog, and as you will find out, is infested with an alien species of bugs. The story is quite complicated, albeit engrossing.

Graphics
Simply visuals are Gunvalkrie’s strong point. This game has a very anime look. Which is a much-needed break from all the cel-shaded games we’ve been seeing lately. That is to say, the animation in this game looks more like Gundam Wing, and less like say, loony tunes. The player character models are very sharp, and the movements are very graceful. I especially liked that when you jump u could actually see the mech crouch down a bit and then spring up, just like a person. Little things like this really brought me into the game. While the character models were impressive, the enemies were quite lacking. They are all little bugs, and with little variation. I think a lot more effort should have been put into making the enemies more interesting. However this is not a big setback because if you are really into the game they will be dead within a second or 2 of them being on screen.

Sound
Sound is one department in which this game is lacking. There is almost no music whatsoever, or if there was any it was too quiet to hear. Also, most of the sound effects, including your guns and explosions almost sounded somewhat distant, like they were in the background and not right in front of you.

Gameplay
On most levels, you have a choice between using Kelly, who is lightweight and more mobile, or Saburouta, who is significantly less mobile but has stronger firepower. You get around much different from most 3rd person action-adventure games as well as most FPS games. So it may be hard for some to get used to the controls. You walk using the left analog. You jump with L and fire with R. The right analog is used to look around in a small radius. You get around using the jetpack. By pushing in the left analog and moving it in a direction you boost in that direction. It is amazingly fun. You have a boost gauge that kind of acts like fuel, as it can be used up, however once u stop boosting it will fill all the way up in about a second. At times the combat can be quite hectic, with you boosting every which way, blasting everything in sight. In this respect the game really flourishes, as it is more action packed and exiting then most current console games. However this game is what you make of it. If you mostly just walk around and shoot things this game won’t be too fun, and painstakingly difficult at certain points. The biggest flaw with this game is that it is way too short. It can be completed within a few hours.

Conclusion
This game has a lot of faults, including the sub par sound and drab enemies. However, the gameplay more than makes up for it. At times, Gunvalkarie can be so intense that you will totally forget about everything that is lacking. However the one flaw that cannot be overlooked is the length of the game, as it is my biggest disappointment. Just when you start to really enjoy the game, the final curtain closes, and the game comes to an end. Perhaps this was Sega’s plan all along, to leave you wanting more. Rent before the buy.

~ditto~